The present invention relates to a drink, or a concentrate that can be constituted with water to make a drink, containing aloe vera mucilaginous polysaccharides and its method of preparation from alcohol-precipitated mucilaginous polysaccharides derived from aloe vera leaves.
Aloe is a tropical or subtropical plant characterized by lance-shaped leaves with jagged edges and sharp points. For centuries, this plant has been considered to have, and has been used for its, medicinal and therapeutic properties without any clear understanding or scientific analysis of the bases for such properties.
Because of this lack of knowledge about the aloe plant and its characteristics, most methods employed for the processing of the plant and its components result in end products which do not consistently achieve desired results. Further, aloe leaves contain anthraquinones in its yellow sap. The anthraquinone-containing yellow sap is known to have a laxative effect with a reputation as an extremely irritating cathartic. Traditional processes for the production of various aloe products typically involved crushing (pressure rollers), grinding (e.g., use of Thompson aloe leaf slitter), or pressing (TCX pressure extruder) of the entire leaf of the aloe plant to produce an aloe vera juice, followed by various steps of filtration and stabilization of the juice. The resulting solution is then incorporated in, or mixed with, other solutions or agents to produce the products which could be, for example, a cosmetic, a health food drink, or a topical ointment. Unfortunately, because of improper processing procedures, many of these so-called aloe products contain no active ingredients, namely, mucilaginous polysaccharides (MP).
The principal disadvantage of such state of the art processes is the failure to recognize, and to take into account, that different components of the aloe leaf have characteristics that may not only be inconsistent with the intended use of the final product, but in many instances were deleterious to such use. Further, unless carefully controlled processes are used in processing the leaves of the aloe plant, the active ingredients, namely, mucilaginous polysaccharides, of the leaves are destroyed during the process.
These active polysaccharides have been identified, isolated and stabilized as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,957,907 and 4,959,214, incorporated herein by reference. These active polysaccharides are hereinafter referred to as acemannan. Acemannan is an ordered linear polymer of substantially acetylated mannose monomers.
The physiological activity of acemannan and its pharmaceutical applications have been the object of numerous research studies at a number of laboratories, including Carrington Laboratories. These studies have primarily focused on the action of the activity of acemannan as an antiviral agent, an immunomodulator, a means of reducing opportunistic infections, and as a means of stimulating the healing processes.
Acemannan has been shown in laboratory studies to increase up to 300% in 48 hours the replication of fibroblasts in tissue culture which are known to be responsible for healing burns, ulcers and other wounds of the skin and of the gastrointestinal lining.
Acemannan has also been shown to increase DNA synthesis in the nucleus of fibroblasts. The increase in DNA synthesis in turn increases the rate of metabolic activity and cell replication which are fundamental steps in the healing process.
Acemannan has been shown in controlled studies to increase the rate of healing in animals.
Acemannan has also been shown to be an effective treatment for gastric ulcers in animal studies. Over a three year period, laboratory rats, the stomachs of which react similarly to that of humans, were tested. Acemannan was found to be equivalent to or superior to current medications used for the treatment of gastric ulcers. Most such products act to inhibit hydrochloric acid in the stomach. Acemannan works on a different principle and does not alter the natural flow of digestive acids.
Through the years, people have prepared health drinks containing aloe vera extracts. However, these drinks were never very popular because they have a bitter aftertaste and a laxative effect. Further, the majority of these drinks contain absolutely no active mucilaginous polysaccharides or acemannan.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,890, incorporated herein by reference, describes the preparation of an aloe vera drink utilizing a substantially anthraquinone-free aloe juice. This patent describes aloe juice that is prepared from aloe leaves by washing the leaves with a bactericidal solution, removing an anthraquinone-rich sap from the leaves by cutting off the tip of the leaf and draining the sap, removing the leaf rind to produce a substantially anthraquinone-free aloe gel fillet, and grinding the resulting aloe gel fillet to produce a substantially anthraquinone-free aloe juice. The described substantially anthraquinone-free aloe juice made up over 95% of the disclosed aloe drink.
The "aloe drink" of the present invention is a significant improvement over the currently commercially available aloe drinks, including the aloe drink described in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,890. The aloe drink of the U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,890 has a bitter aftertaste even after the drink has been supplemented with various flavoring agents. In fact, even when chilled, such drink still has an unpleasant aftertaste that many people cannot tolerate.
Furthermore, the aloe drink described in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,890 does not contain a consistent concentration of acemannan, the active ingredient of aloe juice. Seasonal rainfall variations are reflected in the acemannan content of aloe leaves. Therefore, depending on the rainfall at harvest, the concentration of acemannan in the extracted aloe juice used to make up the aloe drink described could vary significantly. Typically, the content of acemannan in the aloe drink prepared as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,890 varies from about 500 mg to about 1500 mg per liter of the drink. Even at the lowest concentration of acemannan, i.e., at 500 mg of acemannan per liter of the drink, the bitter aftertaste is still present in such a drink.
Based on the foregoing, a need has arisen for a drink containing mucilaginous polysaccharides or acemannan that can be prepared having a known quantity of acemannan. The acemannan-containing drink should be easily produced by mixing water with an acemannan that is relatively stable at ambient temperatures. Furthermore, the drink should not leave a bitter aftertaste.